Score! We finally made it past 1 Oak’s egalitarian velvet ropes on Friday for 1 Model Management’s party. With owners Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano making the rounds amid pals like Eugene Remm of Tenjune, we couldn’t sneak any photos beyond the ones you see here of the wall of stacked golden letters and the bathroom’s golden basins and pistol art, so we’ll have to walk you through the space the old-fashioned way.

Down by the Hipster suspects 1 Oak may be opening tonight. We’ve heard whispers of the same, but official word is that it now won’t be fully open to the public until the end of the private-party season. So, January. Last night, a note on the door said that a toy drive slated to be there had been moved to Home. But here's the good news: A victory at last week’s decisive community-board meeting means 1 Oak can operate till 4 a.m. The NIMBY contingent was somewhat mollified when the CB said 1 Oak could not seek a cabaret license. In the meantime, if any lucky bastards are having their company party there, let us know how she looks!

Last week the Daily News brought word that Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano are being sued for $120 million by developer Emilio Barletta, who claims he’s the rightful lease holder of the space that houses the Butter boys’ club 1 OAK. What the News doesn’t mention, but our inside sources do, is that Barletta, owner of Zanzibar, was planning to partner in the space with PM owners Kyky and Unik, last seen plotting a now-abandoned Italian bistro in the Sascha space.

Community Board 4’s licensing committee met last night to again consider the curious case of the Butter boys’ new project 1OAK. The nitty-gritty on this one: The club’s space is licensed by the SLA to hold a piano bar (probably the plans of a previous tenant); Sartiano and Akiva have now submitted an alteration request reflecting their new plan for a restaurant. The request was met with a 4-4 deadlock that will be mulled over by full community board on December 5 — meaning the club won’t be opening quite as soon as we had hoped.

Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano aren’t commenting (they’re probably a little wiped from celebrating Butter's fifth anniversary last night), but we’re hearing from a source close to 10AK that the secretive club Akiva asserts will “change the face of nightlife in New York” passed its building inspection yesterday and could be four or five days away from opening. We can only assume a fair share of Scores girls were invited to the opening, but the real question is this: Will Butter regular and Sartiano ex Ashley Olsen make an appearance with Lance Armstrong?
Earlier:Until 1OAK Opens, Look for Richie Akiva at ScoresRelated:Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines With Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’

A while back Richie Akiva told us his new spot 1OAK was poised to “change the face of nightlife in New York.” That remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: It won’t be opening this Friday as originally planned. At a meeting last night, Akiva’s partner, Scott Sartiano, and their lawyer, Rob Bookman, said the club was not ready to open, according to a community-board source. Akiva plans to apply for a construction-alteration application in November, partly in hopes that a reduced capacity will make it easier for him to score the cabaret license he’s going after. (According to our source, Sartiano and Bookman said the establishment wouldn’t be a dance club  they just want a means of defense against the dance police). Asked about a new opening date, a spokesman for 1OAK said simply, “We are working with local community leaders to develop 1OAK according to the laws and regulations mandated by the city of New York.” For those of you who want to get your dance on ASAP, take heart  Marquee’s liquor license was recommended for renewal.
Earlier:CB to Richie Akiva’s New Club: Not So Fast!Related:Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines with Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’

Community Board 4 was surprised to hear Richie Akiva tell us that he and partner Scott Sartiano are planning to open their new spot 1OAK (remember? The one that will “change the face of nightlife”?) on October 19. According to a board member, the Butter boys don’t exactly have their papers in order, since they applied for a cabaret license without going through the CB as required. They’ve now agreed to withdraw the application until the CB votes in early November.
PREV12NEXT